Chapter 267

Chapter 267

What does it mean to experience extreme highs and lows? It's exactly like this.

Tears still clung to Su Molan's eyelashes, giving her a faint air of her unique vulnerability, but the silly expression on her face was rather amusing.

Old Lady Tie hesitated, though. If she remembered correctly, the young master had mentioned that this Young Master Ning was a Earth-level Alchemist, right?

When Old Lady Tie was injured years ago, the Four Great Families put on a good show and specially invited a Heaven-level Alchemist to treat her, but those Heaven-level Alchemists were helpless in treating her condition.

Of course, it wasn't impossible that the Heaven-level Alchemists were acting on the Four Great Families' instructions and didn't want to cure her.

Later, Old Lady Tie also privately invited some familiar alchemists, but none could help her either. Knowing her injury and limited lifespan, those people didn't bother to eliminate her back then, allowing her to linger until now.

After all, she was an old woman who was going to die sooner or later; there was no need to waste effort on her.

Thinking of this, Old Lady Tie's face showed a mocking expression.

Su Molan was both surprised and delighted. "Can Young Master Ning's Detoxification Pill also remove the poison from Old Lady Tie?"

"The Detoxification Pill won't work," Ning Yuzhou said. Seeing their dejected expressions, he added, "I need to refine another pill."

Old Lady Tie felt a slight stirring in her heart, wanting to ask something but ultimately held back, saying only, "Thank you, Young Master Ning."

Cultivators have their own secrets and treasures they don't reveal to others. These two could come from another continent to the Pleiades Continent and emerge from the depths of the Black Wind Desert, showing their remarkable abilities. Why delve into the details?

Su Molan was extremely grateful, her joy overwhelming her as she said, "Thank you so much. I really don't know how to thank you..."

Ning Yuzhou raised his hand to stop her, his expression composed. "Miss Su, there's no need for that. Being able to see your family's treasure chamber is already a great reward for us."

Helping Old Lady Tie was merely a small effort. Ning Yuzhou always believed in fair transactions, and obtaining the detailed sea map had already given them an advantage.

Even so, Old Lady Tie did not like owing anyone. In her eyes, Ning Yuzhou and his companion had indeed helped Su Molan greatly. After a moment's contemplation, she asked Su Molan to fetch some items from the treasure chamber of the Pleiades Valley for them.

"These are materials for refining array disks and setting up arrays. I believe you will find them very useful."

Ning Yuzhou felt a slight stirring in his heart but did not refuse, saying simply, "Thank you."

Then, Ning Yuzhou began examining Old Lady Tie's body.

"The poison in your body has been entrenched for a long time. Given your current condition, directly expelling the poison might be too much for you to bear, potentially damaging your Dao foundation and hindering future cultivation. You need to heal your injuries first before we can address the poison."

Old Lady Tie's body had deteriorated so severely partly because six months ago, when she assassinated Elder Wan, she was struck by his final blow, causing the suppressed poison to flare up. Despite half a year of recovery, there had been little improvement, which Old Lady Tie knew well.

Ning Yuzhou took out a bottle of spirit pills and handed it to her. "Take one spirit pill daily to heal your injuries first."

After instructing Old Lady Tie on what to watch out for, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao left Chuyun Peak, planning to visit the Spiritual Field in the Pleiades Valley to look for spirit herbs.

Since they were treating Old Lady Tie, providing the spirit herbs and medicines was naturally their responsibility, a common practice among cultivators. Although the Pleiades Valley had declined, due to its seclusion, the spirit herbs grown within still held some value.

Old Lady Tie asked Su Molan to lead them.

The Pleiades Valley had many Spiritual Fields. Besides those near the entrance, some more valuable spirit herbs were planted on the peaks.

Along the way, they encountered several disciples of the Pleiades Valley. Upon hearing that they were ordered by Old Lady Tie to pick spirit herbs, none dared to delay them.

Once they were alone, Su Molan quietly asked, "Young Master Ning, when will Old Lady Tie's injuries heal?"

"It depends on how her recovery progresses," Ning Yuzhou replied calmly. "Once Old Lady Tie's injuries are mostly healed, we can begin detoxifying her. This shouldn't take too long."

Su Molan immediately felt relieved.

When they passed the nearby Spiritual Fields, they had already seen that they contained low-grade spirit herbs, which they already had in abundance, so they didn't need them.

As they approached the entrance, they paused.

Not far from the entrance of the Pleiades Valley was a spacious open area paved with heavy cloud-patterned lustrous pearls, forming a large square. It was said that before the Pleiades Valley faced troubles, the disciples practiced swordsmanship here every day, their synchronized movements creating a powerful aura.

Eighteen thick stone pillars stood in the square.

These stone pillars were made of unknown materials, each a dull gray quartz color, with a simple and crude design. Each pillar required two people to encircle, and the unpolished lines gave them a rugged yet smooth appearance, imbued with an indescribable charm.

"What are those pillars?" Wen Qiao asked.

Su Molan shook her head. "I don't know either. According to Old Lady Tie, these eighteen pillars were erected when the Pleiades Valley was founded. They are said to be the foundation of the valley and must not be damaged."

The Pleiades Valley had been established in ancient times, enduring countless storms over the years, but these eighteen pillars remained steadfastly guarding the place, untouched by the elements. The main reason was that the material used to make these pillars was extremely hard, making it difficult for ordinary spirit weapons to damage them. Over time, people stopped paying attention to them.

Seeing Wen Qiao's curiosity, Su Molan led them closer.

The eighteen stone pillars formed a ring. As they walked among them, they noticed the pillars were incredibly tall, with visible cracks, bearing the marks of time and weathering, looking quite aged.

Wen Qiao circled around and found cracks on each pillar, asking, "Miss Su, where did these cracks come from? Will they split?"

Su Molan shook her head again. "I've heard these cracks have existed for a long time, but they haven't caused any problems, so they shouldn't split."

Perhaps the material of these pillars was indeed very hard. Even with the cracks, they remained unaffected. For the disciples of the Pleiades Valley, as long as they didn't collapse, it didn't matter. Of course, now that the Pleiades Valley was effectively defunct, even if the pillars eventually crumbled, no one would care.

After inspecting the pillars, they left the square.

Su Molan led them to the nearby peaks where the Spiritual Fields were located.

The Spiritual Fields needed to be tended to, especially the precious spirit herbs, requiring the meticulous care of cultivators. Therefore, disciples guarded the fields on the peaks.

Su Molan took out the token given to her by Old Lady Tie. Seeing the token, the guards did not dare to stop them and opened the restrictions around the fields, allowing them to enter.

Field after field of neatly arranged Spiritual Fields appeared before them, with lingering mists that imparted a sense of spirituality.

After observing, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao realized that this mist was characteristic of the Pleiades Valley, having condensed into a tangible form, carrying a hint of peculiar power.

There was no time to savor it as the mist drifted by.

After sending away the disciple guarding the Spiritual Field, Su Molan said, "The Xinggu Valley used to be a Cloud Valley. It’s said that the mist in the valley nourishes all things—cultivators, beasts, and spirit plants alike. If one is lucky enough to absorb it, it can be beneficial."

Unfortunately, the mist comes and goes without a trace, occasionally blessing the creatures of Xinggu Valley. Obtaining its gifts is extremely difficult.

However, Xinggu Valley has never tried to capture the mist, allowing it to come and go freely. The spirit fields on the cloud peak were established with the hope that these precious herbs could be nurtured by the mist.

Wen Qiao was very interested in the spirit fields on the cloud peak. Seeing this, Su Molan didn’t rush to dig up the herbs but instead led them on a leisurely tour.

The spirit herbs here were of excellent quality, making Wen Qiao delighted. She almost couldn’t resist transforming into her beast form to root herself among the herbs and communicate with them.

The three walked through the spirit field, and Ning Yuzhou unceremoniously dug up the herbs he needed.

When he finished, Su Molan asked, "Young Master Ning, is that enough?"

"For now."

After digging up the herbs, they left the cloud peak.

The disciple guarding the spirit field came to check what they had taken, feeling a pang of heartache. But knowing that it was Iron Granny who had requested them, who would dare refuse? Neither of the two Emperor Yuan cultivators in the valley could be provoked.

Upon returning to Chuyun Peak, they found that Iron Granny was not in her alchemy room refining pills.

Su Molan whispered to them, "Iron Granny has always wanted to cure the poison in her body, but she doesn’t have much talent for alchemy. It’s already remarkable that she managed to concoct the Age-Defying Pill; she wasted quite a few other herbs..."

"What are you saying?"

Iron Granny’s voice came from the alchemy room, and Su Molan quickly shut her mouth, adopting an air of dignity.

In the following days, Iron Granny stayed in her quiet room to recuperate, with Su Molan by her side, receiving guidance on cultivation.

Although Iron Granny needed to recover, as long as she didn’t engage in battles, she could still guide Su Molan in her cultivation.

Ning Yuzhou used Iron Granny’s alchemy room to refine pills, and neither Iron Granny nor Su Molan disturbed him. Just like cultivators during cultivation, alchemists during pill refinement must not be interrupted.

Only Wen Qiao was idle.

Of course, Wen Qiao wasn’t entirely idle; she was busy forming connections with the cloud beasts in Xinggu Valley.

Every time Su Molan saw the cloud beasts running over to Wen Qiao, she couldn’t help but marvel, "The cloud beasts seem to really like you."

Wen Qiao boasted, "Of course! I’ve been popular with beasts since childhood! Actually, it’s easy to win their favor. As long as we don’t harbor ill intentions toward them, they won’t reciprocate with malice. They’re quite easy to get along with."

Seeing the white fluffballs surrounding Wen Qiao, Su Molan felt a pang of sadness, realizing that even as the valley master, she couldn’t win the affection of the valley’s beasts as easily as an outsider.

With the cloud beasts acting as her informants, Wen Qiao knew Xinggu Valley inside out, knowing where she could and couldn’t go.

When she had nothing to do, she would lead a group of cloud beasts, avoiding the disciples of Xinggu Valley, wandering around the valley leisurely. This carefree sight made Su Molan envious.

After her wanderings, she would seek out Ning Yuzhou to share her discoveries.

One day, Wen Qiao wandered near the square at the entrance of the valley.

As soon as she arrived, she spotted a sneaky figure. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Senior Brother Wang.

Senior Brother Wang was searching among the eighteen stone pillars, muttering curses under his breath, blaming everything and everyone, always shifting responsibility.

"Wen Qiao, what are you doing here?" Wen Qiao asked.

Senior Brother Wang jumped, his face changing color. When he recognized Wen Qiao, he relaxed and said, "Junior Sister Wen, it’s you. What are you doing here?"

Wen Qiao replied matter-of-factly, "Iron Granny sent me to dig some spirit herbs."

Senior Brother Wang scoffed, "That old hag is always ordering people around. No matter how many spirit herbs she gets, she can’t refine anything worthwhile. Junior Sister Wen, you’ve worked hard."

Wen Qiao said flatly, "It’s nothing."

Senior Brother Wang, accustomed to Wen Yashu’s dull personality, didn’t mind her expressionless face and hinted, "Junior Sister Wen, consider your future. With your aptitude, it’s a pity to be stuck in Xinggu Valley."

"What do you mean, Senior Brother Wang?" Wen Qiao asked, expressionless.

Senior Brother Wang got straight to the point, "What do you think of my previous proposal? We’re both unfortunate souls. Although our aptitudes aren’t great, it doesn’t mean we deserve to be overlooked. If we could obtain something to cleanse our meridians and transform our essence, we could eventually soar high..."

Hearing this, Wen Qiao finally understood Senior Brother Wang’s intention.

Those who willingly served as informants in Xinggu Valley had received promises from various factions. Senior Brother Wang had been promised a treasure to cleanse his meridians and improve his essence if he succeeded.

"Junior Sister Wen" had also received promises from someone behind the scenes, but she and Senior Brother Wang were not on the same side. He wanted to bring those not aligned with him into an alliance.

Wen Qiao didn’t answer but asked, "Senior Brother Wang, why are you here?"

Senior Brother Wang chuckled and patted a nearby stone pillar, "What do you think I’m doing here? I’ve searched every inch of Xinggu Valley but haven’t found the Twenty-Eight Constellations Map. I wonder if it’s here."

Wen Qiao’s heart stirred, and she couldn’t help but look at the eighteen stone pillars.

Senior Brother Wang continued, "Junior Sister Wen, what do you think we’d find if we pushed these eighteen pillars down and dug underneath?" Without waiting for her response, he added, "Forget it. If we did that, that old hag wouldn’t let us off."

Since Wen Qiao had seen him, Senior Brother Wang stopped hiding and openly searched the area.

Wen Qiao didn’t leave, following Senior Brother Wang.

A few cloud beasts accompanied her, thinking they were playing a fun game, bouncing between the stone pillars, nearly tripping Senior Brother Wang.

"Scram!" Senior Brother Wang impatiently shooed the cloud beasts away. "Junior Sister Wen, why did you bring a bunch of beasts here?"

Wen Qiao remained silent, secretly instructing the cloud beasts to keep their distance so he wouldn’t take out his anger on them.

Senior Brother Wang knew that "Wen Yashu" was a taciturn person and didn’t expect any response. After searching for a while longer, he started cursing and kicked a few stone pillars before leaving with drooping eyes.

Wen Qiao watched coldly, paying no heed to such clownish antics.

It was now evening, with the setting sun half-hidden behind the mountains, leaving only a crimson orb hanging there. The afterglow painted the valley’s mist and clouds, while the shadows of the eighteen stone pillars stretched long on the ground.

Wen Qiao squatted there, staring at the eighteen stone pillars.

The cloud beasts wandered around for a while, then ran over and tugged at Wen Qiao’s skirt, whining softly.

Wen Qiao took out a handful of spirit fruits and casually scattered them. The cloud beasts joyfully leaped up, catching the fruits mid-air and happily gnawing on them. After finishing, they tugged at Wen Qiao’s skirt again, asking for more.

Wen Qiao scattered another handful of spirit fruits.

The cloud beasts leaped up to catch them. Just as one of the cloud beasts was about to catch a falling spirit fruit, it suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Whine, whine?" The cloud beast circled around, where was its fruit?

The cloud beast that didn’t get the spirit fruit had to run back to Wen Qiao. Wen Qiao continued scattering spirit fruits.

It seemed this particular cloud beast was unlucky; every time it was about to catch a spirit fruit, it would vanish. It became frantic and rushed to Wen Qiao to complain.

"You didn’t get the spirit fruit?" Wen Qiao was puzzled, listening to the cloud beast’s complaint while taking out a few more spirit fruits and scattering them again.

The cloud beast wagged its short tail, leaped up, caught the fruit, and happily swallowed it down.

Wen Qiao stared at the cloud beast but saw no sign of the fruit disappearing.

She fell into deep thought.